Pack Before You Leave
by lordvio
Summary: "I don't. I don't hate you. It just hurts, that's all." He smiled sadly, shifting to face the wall. "The pain will go away, gradually" he continued, "hate…that would be too horrible. I cannot hate you, Kanda. For the sake of my own sanity."
1. Chapter 1

I do not own the characters. Nor the computer.

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** _____________________________Pack Before You Leave!________________**

Komui looked at the exorcists in his office with despair. He gripped his Lenalee Cup. He could not endure this anymore. "_Would you two cut it out? Do you want me to call Komurin #345? 'Cause I will, if you two_ _don't stop…ARE YOU LISTENING TO ME, KANDA-KUN, ALLEN-KUN?!?"_

Kanda let go of Allen and wiped his bleeding lip. "_Che. He started it_." "_I DID NOT! HOW DEAR YOU BASTARD BLAME ME FOR YOUR OWN TROUBLES_?" Allen's eye was colored by deep blue, turning to green ring. "_Hn, my only trouble is your existence_." A finder was holding down Allen from strangling Kanda.

"_Please, you two, you have a mission together, now please leave! I have repeated you the details thrice. Now go, Italy is waiting for you!" _

_____

The train was annoying. The people were annoying. Even the cup of tea Kanda was offered was annoying. It was lukewarm, like dog piss, and smelled as one too. Che. Kanda looked in front of him. Allen was nodding in rhythm with the iron wheels of the train. His head bounced up and down, like a ball on the waves, forgotten by some irresponsible kid. Kanda cheed again.

He did not like trains. They were dirty, pricey, and were not the most comfortable method of transportation. They were a moving garbage dump, where all kinds of people were recycled by class, money, and even smell. Now that Komui wasted money on stupid toys, the Order could only buy them third class tickets. They were the worst. Goats and sheep were dumped together with third rate people who smelled of garlic and unwashed feet. Che. Luckily, right now the train was almost empty. Only a stupid goat was mistaking an old fart's beard for grass.

Allen sighed in his sleep. He propped up his head against the trembling window and mumbled something. In the corner of his mouth, a thin thread of saliva was crawling down his chin. His face was mirrored in the dark train window. The stars gave away a sick, trembling light, as if they were ready to die.

Kanda felt tired, as if he lived seventy years plus a hundred. He felt old, worn out, like the mantle of the kid that was sleeping on the couch in front of him. Che, that brat. Couldn't he dress better? All his clothes were butchered by Time. Beside the short exorcist jacket, the kid wore outdated clothes, as if he had nothing else. Allen whimpered again. He shuffled his head, muttering louder. His face became pained, his body tightened and he curled into a ball. The whimpering did not cease, moreover, the boy started sniffling. Kanda woke up and stared curiously at the maggot. Che, having nightmares at this age? Hn, what a under grown (**literally**) brat. Maybe he had a cold. Or… flu…

Kanda was drifting off again. His chin touched the chest and he was sound asleep. He dreamed of olives. They were green, with small, black faces. They smiled and stuck their tongues out, infuriating him. "_Bakandaaa! Bakandaa_!" They were yelling. They even started to laugh in small annoying giggles. Stupid olives. Who the hell invented them? "_Kanda, Kanda_!" Che. How annoying. Kanda caught one of them in his palm. He started squishing it, feeling the Extra Virgin Olive Oil coming out. Heh, so THIS is how they make the stuff. Suddenly, a blow of an icy wind kissed his face. Kanda woke up, shuddering at the wind trapped in his clothes. In front of him, Allen stood frozen. "_K-Kanda…The window_…" Kanda looked at him with sleepy eyes.

"_What do you want, Moyashi_?"Allen ignored that, for the first time. He was curled up like a cat, glued to the couch. The window was open, letting the wind and the snowflakes in. "_Can you close the window? I'm really cold…_" Che, lazy bastard. "_Can't you do it yourself? What am I, your slave or something? Dream on!_" Allen did not respond. He sighed, got up and left the compartment designed for six people (and a goat).

Kanda blinked. That kid did not try to stab him with a glare, or a poisoned word, or a dagger. He did nothing. He ignored the fact that Kanda called him a bean sprout also. Definitely suspicious.

The samurai peeked outside. The brat was nowhere to be seen. Instead, it seemed that the door of the next compartment was open. The light peered through the old, cracked metallic door, carrying the smell of tobacco and wine outside. The cold air was pushed away by the miasma of the cheap perfume and stinky beards.

Kanda approached the door and opened it. Inside, bundles of people were cursing, playing cards, drinking cheap, smoky wine. The tobacco smell made Kanda sick. He covered his nose and searched with one eye for the maggot. He was there, smiling at a small Italian child with a pacifier in his mouth.

"Che bello ragazzo! E' il tuo figlio?" He addressed a big, voluptuous woman with ample bosom. She was holding the baby in her arms.

"Ah, signore, vorresti una coperta? Fa molto freddo!" She held a blanket. Kanda listened to foreign words, trying to understand what was going on. Allen accepted the blanket with a pleasant smile. He asked the woman something else. She joyfully approached her husband and reaped a deep blue, wool blanket off of him. Saying something fast, she gave both blankets to Allen.

Kanda cheed and entered his own compartment. He took a look at the window. It was jammed with two iron knobs, so that it would not close. Che. Damnation. This already is the third class section; do they have to make his life harder by jamming the window? He took out his sword and started to destroy the damned thing.

"_Hey Kanda, look what have_ _got!! Oh, you closed the window? Hehe, so you are my slave_! _Hello slave…ghghghjr…ghf..l-let m-me g-go…_" Che, bloody brat. He deserved to be hanged upside down and slowly roasted over the fire. Kanda sat on the couch, folded his arms and made an attempt at falling asleep. Suddenly he felt the Warmth itself embrace him. He huddled in it with a satisfied grunt. Wait, who…

Allen carefully tiptoed to the other couch and unfolded a green, thick, cotton cover. He sighed and clasped it around his own body, leaving outside a mop of snowed hair. Now of all times, he **really **resembled a bean sprout. Kanda watched him for a long time, wondering, how these children are brought in the world, being so weak, yet acting so strong. A bean sprout is so fragile, it breaks at the slightest movement of the palm that caresses it; yet, it can penetrate a concrete pavement. Che. He did not like philosophy.

Kanda looked at the brat again. He was still trembling under that blanket of his. How ridiculous. That damned martyr. Che. Kanda got up and tore the green cloth off of him, giving his blue, woolen one instead.

"_Brat, think of yourself first. If you don't, you will finish your days like a dog in some dump."_ Allen lay there, wide eyed. "_I-I don.. Thank you, Yuu…..GHGHGHghghgh" "Don't call me by my first name, baka. You will pay with your life if you do."_ Kanda turned around then stopped, hearing muffled giggles. "_Shut up, brat. I said SHUT UP!!!"_

"_I could never have guessed that you have that side of you too_." Kanda's eyes glinted dangerously. "_So what?" " I just think that's nice_," Allen said, lifting his knees to his chin and embracing the legs. Now he really looked like a child.

"_I did not have many people caring for me, you know. Some used me as a tool; others for their own satisfaction. Sometimes, I thought that I am a tool…_" His voice was quiet, and his eyes were closed. Yet, he spoke clearly, as if telling a story, or reciting a poem. Kanda just listened. He felt that he will never see that honest face of the brat again. By morning, it will have changed into a mask of smile and fucking niceness. For some reason, that bothered him.

Despite his young age, Kanda knew people. He knew there were people who were used, and people who used. He did not like people. They were …ugly. Yet, he was killing physical, obvious monsters, for the sake of other, weaker monsters. Komui called them "innocent people." He, Kanda, was fighting akuma for the sake of "innocent" people. What a sick joke.

"_I remember when I worked in the whore house. Those were the worst months in my life_," Allen continued as if he knew that Kanda was listening. "_I met women who were ready to sell themselves for a few bucks, and men that could fall so low as to give those bucks. They were fooling each other, some with masks, others openly. I was seven then. I could never figure out why my master liked hanging out in such places._"

Kanda felt his stomach clench in a sickening grasp. He knew well what the brat was speaking about. He knew the masks. But not only were the pleasure seekers wearing them. Allen was too. He learned from them involuntarily. He was wearing that sickening smile in front of veveryone, like a doll.

Kanda wanted to throw up. He bit his lip. No, it was not his stomach that hurt. His chest was swelling in a muted cry. He groaned. "_Moyashi, I am trying to sleep here. Would you shut your peepholes and hibernate? I don't care about your sweet seven, or seventeen, or seventy seven! Che. You bring only trouble…"_

Allen was softly snoring in Kanda's chest. He was so skinny. Well, this will certainly keep him warm…

The train was still trembling in its own heartbeat, not caring about the world that it was transporting. It was made of metal. Metal is cold. It cannot care. It will not care.

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Huh, I'm falling asleep. I have no idea, whether to leave it as a complete story or make another chapter. (Sigh) I really need your opinions about this, so please review!


	2. Maps are special tools for getting lost

So sorry for the delay!

I do not own any of the characters presented in this piece!

**_________________________Maps Are Special Tools For Getting Lost_______________________________________**

"Get up. I said, GET UP!"

Through his sleep, Allen felt a smell of coffee and burned bread. The humming of the train made him remember that he was supposed to be tired, dirty and cold. The reality was different. His body felt that type of warmth that he would not trade for a cup of stinking cheap coffee, or burning bread. Let Kanda yell all he wanted, he wasn't going to bulge.

With this resolution, he squeezed the eyes, as if waiting for Kanda to use force (or tooth picks) to open them.

"Get up, you ass! Why the hell do I need to take care of you? What am I, your _mother_?" Kanda was murmuring through his teeth with a rage that would make even the worst mother in the world call the Anger Management center. He just found out that the buffet of the train did not contain Soba. Or tea. He had never known that Italians don't drink tea.

"Shut up Bakanda! What are you, my _mother_?" Allen smiled wickedly, still hidden in the folds of the blue woolen cover. He knew Kanda's personality very well. That bastard is going to fume and spit lava, then he would call him moyashi, then he would complain about the people that make his life miserable. Blah, blah, blah; let him say what he wanted. Allen did not care. After all, Kanda is Kanda.

The train decided to spit them out in a small, map-less town in the north of Italy; that is, IF a bunch of old houses put together and painted in gray shades can be called a town.

"What was our mission, Kanda?"

"How the hell am I supposed to know? You took a note of what Komui was saying, right?"

Allen stopped dead in his path. His face grew livid. "Kanda, don't tell me that you have no idea why we are here…" He watched the samurai stop and chee. "I won't. You said it yourself."

"You mean…" Allen looked at Kanda blinking. He felt sand in his eyes. Or flies. Or something that made his eyes sting.

"Kanda… We need to look for a phone. Seriously."

Kanda cheed again. Can't he speak normally? How annoying! Is this his trademark, or something? Allen frowned. He mentally kicked his own ass for being such an "organized" idiot. Even though Kanda was the leader of the mission, Allen always made sure his pack contained his bare necessities (a ton of food that lasted approximately 2 hours, and a toothbrush) How could he forget what their mission was?!?! Oh well, he just needed to find the goddamned phone and call Komui.

With a finger on his lips and his eyes shut, Allen decided that he will never, NEVER make the same mistake again. He will definitely, definitely remember everything he needed for the trip, so he will never, never be in such situation. He smiled with his mind set on becoming the Person-Who-Remembers-The-Extra-Pair-Of-Socks-And-Other-Useless-Crap.

"What are you grinning at, Moyashi?" kanda suddenly stopped in his trak, and so becoming the main cause of the Albino's new bump.

Allen fell down, feeling some sand particles being crushed by his teeth. "D-don't call me tha.."

"Shut up, I will call you whatever I want."

Jerk. He was such a jerk. Why wasn't he nice at least once a month, no, that would be impossible, but once a year would not be so hard! Allen pouted. "Here it is the goddamned phone! Now, call Komui and get the info." Kanda's voice was harsh and cold. He was not looking at Allen either. He was crossing his arms and being an ass. Why in the world was he stuck with this guy? He could be with Lenalee, or …not Lavi. Oh God, why, why aren't there normal people that could be his friends?

"No hotels. There are no freakin' hotels here." Kanda grunted. He had not expected that in a country that was basically the center of Europe there are places soooo forgotten by God, that even don't have a pathetic resemblance of a hotel. Or phone. The one they found was a beat up piece of junk that had a mind of its own; it stubbornly repeated every word Kanda and Allen threw at it, yet had no responses from the other side.

The man at the station confirmed Kanda's worst nightmares: no, there were no Japanese restaurants in the town. Crap. He was cold, he wanted desperately to take a shower; Moyashi wasn't helping either. He had I-Am-Seriously-Daydreaming,-Do-Not-Disturb look on his face.

"Kanda… you think I could get a discount for a pair of gloves? I could use this face," at this moment he smiled and closed his eyes with a finger in the mouth.

How…cute. Kanda has never seen the boy so cute. For a second he was scalded by his own blood rushing to places…head. Blood rushing to his head, not ...places.

"Tch, aren't you ashamed to do that? It is not necessary for buying a sorry pair of gloves. Besides, you're a really bad actor."

"Sure it is, you just felt the effect, did you not?" Allen was giggling with the index finger poking his cheek. "See? See? I can totally buy something for at least 70% discount just with my looks. I am sure that will cut our expenses. Kanda, you should be grateful, for having me as your compa..gghgh..l-let m-m-me g-g-o…bastard…."

Kanda let him fall on his knees, grasping for air and coughing the lungs out.

"Don't ever do that again, moyashi. It's cheap and … disgustingly cheap."

Allen looked up (from his position, he had no other choice.) He was still cradling his neck.

"Don't you get it, moyashi? I don't care if our …budget is on its last breath, I don't care about the discounts. Just do not permit that cheap smile to come out, it is too disgusting. Tch." Kanda's voice was strangled by an invisible hand. A knot formed in his throat. He swallowed hard, biting his lip. Stupid kid. Why doesn't he get it?

"So I'm …disgusting. Yeah. Disgusting."

Allen was still on his knees. He was touching his face with the tip of pale fingers. Kanda turned around. They were in the outskirts of the town; there weren't so many people there. Kanda approached Allen with a firm, brusque pace.

"Get up. Get up, I said." He grabbed him by the arm and lifted him. "Don't you dare…cry. I will force Mugen up your ass if you do. Just shut up and follow me."

Allen lifted his face. A mocking smirk was plastered over it.

"Bad actor, eh? The facts are against you, Jerkanda. Just now, you felt like a bastard, did you not?" Allen's voice was cool, calculated. Kanda gasped for air. This kid was seriously frightening. He already knew how to react based on the words previously uttered by the victim (aka Kanda).

"Tch. Idiot." Kanda Kanda licked his bitten lip. He _did_ feel as if his mind was raped.

"I learned that in poker. Mana taught me to never loose my cool. In games, that is. He told me that acting does not need a stage." Allen chuckled remembering something funny. He looked at Kanda's profile. The guy looked pained, or maybe just frowning. Allen suddenly thought that Kanda reminded him of a deer. He had the same graceful neck and position of the head. Just for the heck of it, Allen imagined Kanda with a pair of antlers on his head. Huh. Huhuhuh. Hahaha!

"What's so funny, moyashi?"

"Moyashi ja arimasen, Allen desu!" He replied in the native language of the yakuza, samurai, and of course, Bakanda. Cross did have a good trait. He dragged Allen in every country, and being lazy to learn the language, forced Allen to do it. By the present time, he had mastered several languages. He seriously could survive in any hole.

Allen smiled again. Despite his short stature, he was content in his "everyday" abilities. Even though he hated and feared Cross, he also loved him. A special kind of love. Parent-child theory was not quite there; lover?...No. He really liked Lenalee, so that doesn't fly. Admiration, envy? Slightly. Master was powerful. who wouldn't envy him? What was it?

"Oi, moyashi, are you listening? The old fart just said there are no taverns, or hotels, or other crap that we need. He won't let us stay in his house either."

"Wha-what are we going to doooo! My food is already gone!The only thing I have right now is my toothbrush and a pair of boxers!"

"Che. Shut it, creep. No one cares what you have. I see a forest ahead of us. We will spend the night there."

"But Bakanda, we do not have even matches! Yes; We're _that_ hopeless!!!"

"Che, it's your fault."

"What? No, wait, WHAT?"

"Don't yell dumb ass, we're not having a contest of "whose voice is girlier."

Allen's lips became a thin, knifelike line.

"I am NOT girly, idiot; you're the one who's girly! Seriously, now when we need money, you could sell your hair! Or, if you dress into a tutu, you can work in a cabaret!"

Allen waited smirking. He already knew what to expect. The Idiot will yell and scream, then he will prove his manhood by unsheathing Mugen and trying to cut something, preferably alive.

But Kanda's reaction was just too unexpected. He turned around coldly. "In other words, you want to say that I am good loking?" Allen picked up his mandible of the floor. He stared at him wide eyed, like a nun who discovered a man under her bed.

"Wha-w-what..."

"Let's go moyashi, it's already late and I still have not eaten."

Kanda walked ahead with a firm, calm tempo. Allen looked at the older man's back. He felt humiliated, no, worse, defeated. Right now, when his calm was needed he screwed it up. He was such a brat. Allen stopped, taking out the green blanket out. It was already November, and the leaves were bleeding. The albino looked at the stars that just came out, pale and pathetic as if suffering from anemia. He felt in sinc with them. He too was pathetic, powerless and pale. The boy clasped the cover with greater force. His knuckles became white of cold, maybe tension. He bit his lip again. It tastes salty and metal-like, as if his own body was showing its disgust toward the host-soul.

"Oi, moyashi. This is a good place. Go pick up some dry wood, and lots of it. Oi, are you listening?"

"S-shut up B-bakanda. I know what to do. Don't you dare command me!" The boy was shivering. Now only his face was visible in the green cotton folds. He twisted the blanket around his head in a Muslim style, looking now as a Fatima from the Middle East.

Kanda cheed again. How stupid can this brat get?

"Tch. Just sit down, moyashi. Take out the provisions and make the fire, I'll get the firewood." Allen muttered a weak "thank you" but it fell on deaf, or more precisely absent ears. Kanda left already, leaving Allen unpacking (and finishing off) the pathetic leftovers that he called dinner.

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More to come if I get reviews. I really had fun with this. I really need some new ideas, so If you want this pair in some circumstances, unusual situations, akward moments, tell me about it in your review/comments! Please?


	3. I Know Why You Hate Doctors!

I am so happy to get your reviews! It is very rewarding!

_____________________________________I Know Why You Hate Doctors!____________________________________

One, two, three. Crap. Kanda had unsheathed his sword, using it as an axe; he cut down a small fir tree. Next to him, a big bundle of same, small Christmas trees was laying with a hope that maybe Santa Claus will abduct them from their destiny. Kanda cut again. Crap. He was killing the perfected blade, he knew it. It was not razor sharp anymore. Tch.

The forest was dying itself in dark, creepy colors. Kanda felt the wind trying to scalp him. Che. His hair was not a good possession in this situation. He cheed again, pulling a few twigs out of his hair. He needed to get back and do it fast.

With a grunt, the man lifted the bundle of firewood on his shoulders. By an annoying and unpronounced law, all the twigs and needles of the bundle started piercing his back. Tch. How annoying. Kanda bit his lower lip once more, leaving a dent in the light flesh. Did moyashi start the fire? No way, that stupid brat surely fell asleep after engulfing all the food. Che. Kanda did not like when things didn't go his way. He preferred the company of Marie over others, partly because the older man was almost mute. Huh. Now he is stuck with the most horrible burden ever known: a brat that had no idea what discipline means.

Kanda was cold. While he was cutting the firewood, he transpired heavily. He could feel the salty liquid touching his brow. He frowned. As any Japanese, Kanda considered the cleanness of his own body very important. He did not like the smell of his own stinking skin and the miasma of the wood. It tasted rotten. Again, he took out a few strands of hair out of the corner of his lips. Che. Why did he even bother growing his hair that ridiculously long? It was not comfortable. Kanda shivered. Somewhere ahead he saw the flickering of the shadows and flames. Hn, moyashi did start the fire. How unexpected. That small demon better save him some food, or he (Kanda) will prove him that eating too much can be bad for his stomach. That is, after he will cut him open with Mugen.

Allen was shivering again. Even with the fire he felt like someone put small droplets of ice under his skin. Moreover the droplets did not melt, they grew and grew going deeper into the epidermis, then dermis, then... His knowledge of anatomy was very limited; after all, Cross did not force him to work as an doctor. He was reasonable in his own way.

Allen extended his arms toward the flame. In the red light, the fingers and palms were almost transparent. He felt the bite of the cold in his rear and flame licking his face. Talking about a rock and a hard place. Why, why didn't he bring his sleeping bag?!? It was common sense that usually exorcists slept in conditions unimaginable by normal humans.

Huuuh. He did start the fire. Hidden by the small and pathetic things that called themselves bushes, Kanda saw the kid extending his arms toward the fire. His Fatima veil was now protecting his back, leaving the hair and face uncovered. He saw the boy trying to catch the flame, letting his fingers get bitten by the red creature. Allen jerked back, putting the burned fingers in his mouth.

"Che. How stupid can you get, moyashi? This thing is called a flame. And to touch it is a no-no!" Kanda's sarcastic tone wasn't left to rest in peace.

"Ah, you're back, Jerkanda! Where did you go? Ahh, China? Did you hook up with some Mulan there? Did she braid your hair? Aww, poor girl, you forced her to wear that pants in your relationshi..grgrgh...fggfg...hghgh..l-l-lett m-mee g-g-goo...." Allen was coughing once again. This brat managed to piss him off every time he was looking at him. Tch.

A snowflake. Allen stopped coughing. He crossed his eyes trying to look at his nose. "Kanda, I don't think you are gonna like what I will tell you."

"You're pregnant?"

"Wha-wha..? NO, YOU JERK! It's snowing!" Kanda looked at him, alarmed. "Tch. Now we're screwed." This was the worst possible weather ever. Allen jumped up, trying to balance himself on his sleeping feet. "Ow! Kanda, we need to make a shelter out of the fir branches you brought. I know how to do it! Owowow," The kid was hugging his legs.

"What's now?" "Nothing, it'll pass."

Kanda has never seen him like this. He was rapid, accurate; he knew exactly where to put each fuzzy branch, arranging them like scales on a fish. In a half of a cold, snowy hour, the shelter was ready to be used.

"Well? How do you like my amazing skills? Now, if you beg me I'll let yo.." "It's too small." "What?" "It's too small, dumb ass. There is no way two people will fit in there." "Nah, Kanda, it's not two people. it's ONE person and a Jerk. Wah, take that away from me!" Kanda put Mugen on the ground. He certainly was amazed by moyashi's skills. Tch. The only problem was food.

" Oi, where are the provisions?" Allen's face become red(ly) illuminated from the inside, like a Chinese lantern. "I...I...I'm sorry! I could not control myself! I.." "Shut it, whiny. I just asked a question. Tch." Allen shifted on his legs. He was a pig. "Kanda, I.." Kanda was opening his backpack. He took out a few small packages. Tea, dried meat, noodles, cheese, and salt. What can one dream of more? Allen bit his tongue. "I..I guess I will go to sleep..." His soft voice was quiet. He turned his back.

"Hold it, midget. Put the fire out first. I don't want to call the fire fighters 'cause there's no phone."

"I'm not...a midget." "Whaf, fif heu fay fomefin'? (What, did you say something?) Kanda was munching the dry meat and the noodles.

"I will not put the fire out."

Kanda stopped his mastication process. He was looking at the standing boy. Allen watched him boldly.

"I will not do that."Kanda swallowed the food he had in his mouth. His eyes narrowed and he got off the ground. Sensing danger, Allen instinctively held his arms in front of his chest. "Wanna fight?" He was smiling provocatively. That surely will piss Kanda off. The boy waited. "Well?"

"Tell me, moyashi."

"Wha.. Don't ask stupid questions! How am I supposed to answer something like that?" The boy was yelling, happy that the awkward moment passed away.

"Tell me what's wrong with you." Kanda was looking him straight in the eye, like a doctor that is preparing to cut somebody's leg." I don't need this crap. If something's wrong, then tell me. I do not want to waste my time on you, or on stupid fights. I don't believe you. Nor your masks." Somehow, Allen sensed that Kanda was speaking seriously. He was not frowning or making furious faces. He was just so...grown up.

As a response, the Albino laughed quietly. "W-why would be there something wrong with me?I'm just joking..." Kanda eyed the kid's back. He watched him taking a cup (Kanda brought those), filling it with water from the nearby brook, and dumping it on the fire. The red beast hollered it's last cry and kicked the bucket. Allen threw the glass away and approached the fir shelter when a hand grabbed him by the back of the neck.

"Retard, you think you're gonna get away with this?" Allen did not move. His last will power was used to bite the tongue and keep the words deep inside.

The older boy stood behind him. Allen could feel the warmth of Kanda's body alluring his own. God, why doesn't the snow stop?

"Tell me. NOW." The boy stood quietly not planning to answer anytime soon. Kanda turned the kid around and hit him with the knee in his stomach. Allen gasped; the air was slowly waving buh-bye to his lungs... "Gh..Y-y-you... J-j-jerk..." "You wanted a fight, did you _not_?" Allen was on the ground grasping his stomach. He groaned slowly; saliva was creeping down his lips.

"Tell me." The voice was cold, commanding. For a second Allen was sure that it was Cross. He bit his lip ferociously, until it started to bleed. The metallic taste seemed to calm him down. "Go away. I hate you."

Allen licked the blood again. It was salty like sweat, but not as disgusting. Suddenly, he felt the ground leave him. He was in the air, in Kanda's grasp. Mugen was kissing his throat.

"If you don't tell me, I will kill you." Allen felt his blood going down somewhere where it could hide, leaving the arms powerless. For the first time in his life he has seen Kanda like that. Those eyes were dead. He almost whispered the words. The boy felt like wetting his pants.

"K-kanda... you're scaring me.. please, please let go!"

Mugen was nibbling at his neck.

"O-ok-k, K-kanda, I'll tell you... but please.." He was let down gently. Kanda was still penetrating his face.

"I-I-I feel...sick. Since we came out of the train. It's just a stupid cold...I think. I was cold so I did not want to put out the fire. T-Then you s-snapped... Sorry!"

"Tch. Stupid idiot. Couldn't you tell me faster? That would have saved...Allen?" The brat was on his knees. He was hugging himself as if he was the only human left in the world. Tch. Stupid kid. Kanda grabbed him by the blanket, ripping it away easily.

"Come'ere." Allen raised his eyes. He was staring at Kanda with wide eyes."...What?"

"Come'ere, I said." Allen approached him with caution. " This...This is not a joke, right? You're not going to make fun of me?" Kanda cheed.

"Brat, if you don't shut your hole I will do so!" He rapidly moved toward the younger, pushing him inside the shelter. As expected. This small wonder did not let rain and snow inside.

"Take off your mantle." "W-what?!" "I SAID: take off your mantle and pants, they are wet."

In a few minutes, Allen felt the warmth spreading in every corner of his bag of bones. Kanda was laying on top of him, covering his whole body with his own. With his eyes closed he whispered:

"Quit bitting your lips. It's disgusting."

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Wah! A lot of tension there. Let me tell you something: Your reviews are vital to me! IF you review, ai will update. No reviews, no updates. It sounds fair. To me.


	4. When You Come Into A Foreign country

____________________________When You Come Into A Foreign Country, Learn It's Language!__________________________________

"I told you I have no idea! If I knew, we wouldn't be here!"

"Tch. I don't care. My golem is broken tanks to a stupid moyashi who DID NOT SEE HIS WAY TO THE CRAPER!" Kanda suppressed an immense feeling of annoyance, anger, and downright fury. He was tired, he wanted a bath, and he hated his hair for being so disgustingly sticky. The samurai even felt bugs squirming under his clothes as a result of his night in the forest. Now they were in another pathetic town with no telephones.

Allen stared at him with innocent-yet-mocking eyes. "You don't care? Then why don't we stop in a nice hotel, take a bath, admire the view AND QUIT WHINING!" Kanda twitched. "BRAT, I WOULD'VE BEEN THERE OH-SO-LONG-AGO IS SOMEBODY DID NOT LOOSE OUR MONEY!"

"Now, don't blame this 'somebody' with such cruelty, Kanda." The brat held his index finger up, waiving a 'no-no'. "It's not nice to blame others for your own mistakes..ghgh…l-let…"

"Then SHUT UP!" Kanda let him go on the ground with an unhealthy thump. God really hated him. Hn, maybe it was a punishment for his dirty language? Nah, it can't be. Kanda shook his head, trying hopelessly to create a panic attack in the bugs that inhabited his hair now.

"Ha!" Kanda turned on his heels. "What?" "I found out what kind of mission we have!" Allen was grinning victoriously over the remains of his and Kanda's bags. The bags were torn to pieces, creating a strange design on the pavement. The albino was holding a black packet with a green seal on it.

"See? Here's the address! I BET we're the new delivery boys of the Order!"

"Screw the address, why is my bag torn to pieces!?!? You idiot, there were spare clothes, food, and other important stuff in there!"

"Important stuff?" Allen looked at Kanda with an artificial amazement. "Important stuff like hair ties? Or a mirror? Don't tell me… THERE WAS MASCARA IN THERE?" Allen laughed rolling on the ground. God, this was so much fun! This mission was the best! BECAUSE they were on the mission Kanda COULD NOT harm him. It was an unspoken agreement between all exorcists. Ow, his stomach…

"Moyashi, do you think you can earn us some money? I see a circus there." "I am NOT a circus freak if this is what you imply!" Allen pierced Kanda's back with the indignation of God when he caught Adam sinning.

"I'm serious. You lost our money, you lost OUR concentration and didn't remember what our mission is, you killed my golem, and you ripped my bag, you…"

"Stop right there! I made the shelter and I found the blankets! I also…well…I started the fire!" Allen obviously had trouble remembering what he contributed. He was red and furious.

"Ok! I GET IT! I WILL ASK SOMEBODY FOR A JOB!"

His voice was cut by Kanda's absence. He wasn't there anymore. Allen rotated around his own axis, trying to spot Girly-man. Nothing. Just a sea… a puddle of ragged people that were trying to get away from the sadistic November wind. Allen sighed. As especially ordered by Allen-haters (Kanda included) the rain started to pour its snot on the ground. Why, WHY DO BAD THINGS HAPPEN TO GOOD PEOPLE?!?

"Get up, dumb ass. I found our Finder." Kanda was standing behind him with an umbrella. Allen felt a bubble in his chest. The bubble was warm and still growing. If it popped, the feeling of happiness would overflow in his immune system, making it impossible to live. Allen closed his eyes. The rain laughed, making the ground emit a smell of richness and content. Allen smiled, while the earth's breath was filling his nostrils. The rain washed away his fears with a caress of cold and wet fingers.

"Allen-sama, are you coming? You'll catch a cold if you stay in this storm." The finder, a cloaked figure with no memorable traits, was standing behind Kanda.

"Shut it, imbecile. Idiots don't catch cold. They're too stu…"Kanda eyes contemplated Allen intensely, as if longing to remember that moment.

He was a strange boy. In the gray and mediocre rain, Allen lifted his face with his eyes closed. He had a strange beauty, that brat. The cold fingers of the rain were sliding down his neck, getting under the shirt. As if wanting more, Allen unbuttoned his shirt to his waist. The rain's breath was on his chest; it caressed his shoulders and back like a skilled lover. Allen opened his mouth, trying to catch the droplets with his tongue. That was too much, even for the Weather. It suddenly hit Allen with a torrential flurry of wind, snow and water, wanting him intensely. It engulfed completely, kissing his mouth, eyes, and neck with rage that left the boy breathless. He shuddered. G-god, how cold it was…

In this city…town, there was a wonder that made Kanda happy…grouch-less. There's no way he could be happy. A Hotel. It was white and small and…"Let's go already! I cold and wet! I want to bathe! And I certainly do NOT want soba!" Kanda shifted his attention to the voice under his nose. Allen was there, shouting like a mad donkey.

"Wake up, Girly-man! Did you lose something in the rain? Oi, did you see a ghost? Or did you see your hair ties being picked up by a GIRL?" Kanda turned the volume down by strangling the source. "Stop making lame jokes about my manliness, idiot."

In the hotel, the finder finally considered asking if they have any questions about the mission.

"Hell yeah! What is our mission?" Kanda and Allen made the choruses of the world blush with envy. The finder raised his brows.

"You mean you came here without knowing what your mission was?" Nodding was a good, wordless answer. The finder sighed, murmuring something (in his dreams!) about stupid, incompetent, inept, idiotic exorcists. He took out a notebook and gave it to Kanda. Allen peeked over the samurai's shoulder.

_Mission #34543._

_Country: Italy_

_City/town: Dolorosa_

_Assignment: Find his Highness Lord of the Western Grounds. It is suspected that one of his sons is a host of Innocence. Investigate and if the suspicions are true, escort him to the Black Order's HQ. Failure is not accepted. The finder I, Komui Lee, assigned is a little strange; please consider it when are in his presence._

_P.S. Kanda, when speaking to the Lord, (and God too) DO NOT USE your dirty language._

_P.P.S. Allen, don't let Kanda speak. Do it yourself. That foulmouthed fool is too careless. I will not be surprised if he greeted the Count with something like 'your freaking highness.' _

_P.P.P.S. Don't die. Not that I care, but you'll make Lenalee sad. If you do die… I will book a place for you in Hell, as a last favor._

Allen was smirking. Kanda could _feel_ it. That brat. He seriously needed to beat him up into submission. The finder was watching them intensely. He saw the white hair touch the black one. With a swift motion, he took out a small notebook and started writing something furiously. Somewhere in the hotel, the clock hit twelve. Allen was already asleep, still holding a piece of roasted meat in his fist. His mouth was full. Kanda could barely move. He was so tired. He still did not take the shower. Not that it mattered; he will do it right now.

"Oi , you there! Show me the room!" The "Oi, you there"(a maid, or a butler) did not move. He certainly did not understand Japanese or English, the only languages Kanda mastered. Crap. He was so close to what he wanted, yet, he couldn't get it because of a bloody language barrier. "Moyashi! Oi Idiot, wake up and translate!" The 'idiot' opened his eyes, stitched by the sleep. "Wha..yawwwwn…what do you need…" Snooooore. Crap. The bath was sooo alluring.

Kanda approached a maid. "Io (1) …need…bath, bath…wash!" He started to move his palms over his body making washing motions. The maid blushed. She bubbled something. Kanda, losing to her stream of words just nodded helplessly. The maid giggled, and with a 'come with me' action started to climb the stairs. Kanda sensed hope.

He finally could take a shower, kill the bugs in his hair, and enjoy a cold cup of…milk. He sighed contently. He could feel the future bubbles dancing on his abdomen.

The maid finally opened a room. She entered it with a strange confidence. Kanda scanned the room in search of a bathroom. What the…The girl started undressing. She threw her stockings on the bed, making strange noises. Kanda blinked. He certainly did not expect this.

The maid drew near Kanda, topless. She started saying something quietly, touching his chest. Kanda hit a door with his back. He has never been in this kind of situation. He waived his arms in front of him. "Look… I have no idea what you thought or understood…"

She was next to him, again. The maid licked her lips. She started murmuring something rapidly. Kanda grasped the doorknob and turned it. The next moment he was on the hall's floor, seeing green stars and purple ponies. The girl was on top of him, with her breasts in his physiognomy. She was screaming something. Kanda's ears were splitting in layers. God, this woman… He pushed her off, feeling her cheap perfume on his face. The samurai got up with the awesomely wise decision to wake moyashi up and clear this mess. But there was no need for that.

Moyashi was standing in front of him. His mouth was still covered in ketchup and mayonnaise. He glared at Kanda. "What the hell are you doing?!? This is a hotel, not a brothel! Poor woman… What did you do to her?!?" Allen was pale and trembling. He took off his shirt, covering the maid. The woman started crying.

Oh God. Can it get worse?

Allen approached Kanda threateningly. "You…Scum! How dare you.." He slapped the exorcist. The hair-tie let his mane fall over the lowered head and shoulders. Allen hit him again, this time in stomach.

Kanda did not resist. For some reason, he did not feel angry or furious because he was wronged. He just let himself get beaten. He felt a blow in his chest, then his jaw. A flicker told hit that it was his eye this time.

Allen was sitting on top of him, beating all kind of lights out of him. The woman wailed pulling the shirt Allen gave her on her breasts. Allen wanted to barf. He clutched his fists. This whole fight made him physically sick. He felt Kanda's hair in his fingers. The hair tie was missing. He automatically moved his hand upwards under the bangs. Kanda was simply watching him.

"Kanda.." Albino's voice was hoarse.

He suppressed a groan of pain. Damn. This will certainly leave marks on him.

"What happened?" Allen whispered the words, as if hoping that the samurai will not hear him. But he did.

"It doesn't matter. I am already beaten up, so there's no reason to tell."

Allen got off of Kanda. He turned toward the woman, asking her something and pointing at Kanda. With banshee-like ululating, the woman hugged the poor boy, sticking his face in her assets.

___________________________________________________~_~

The water was hot. Really hot. Kanda shut his eyes. He finally found his room and the shower in it. There were no banshees in his room. There were no albinos in his room. He was alone, with quite a few bumps, scratches and blue marks. Ugh, it really hurt. Kanda finally killed the last bug in his hair. The room was small with a queen sized bed in the center of it. It was so cool and dark in here. Kanda felt the air bite his naked skin. Where did the butler leave the towels? Ah, there they are.

Kanda fell on the bed on his back. The white ceiling stared at him, bored. Kanda stared back. He was tired, yet the sleep ran away with no chances to return.

The door creaked. A white head peeked inside wordlessly.

"What is it?"

The albino shifted his legs. "I…Can I come in?" The silence and darkness responded. Taking that as yes, Allen opened the door and entered. "Can I turn on the lights?" This time, silence couldn't respond, Kanda vociferated before she did. "Don't. My eyes hurt."

The boy entered closing the door behind him. A total darkness dominated in the small room.

"Kanda… I.." Allen's voice was nervous. He propped the door, as if it needed his support. "If you have nothing to say, please leave. I really need to sleep." The answer was not needed, only action.

"Kanda, I asked the maid what happened. She told me you made her some advances. She told me you were a pretty guy so…she took the advantage of the situation. I'm sorry. I thought you were raping her. I had no idea she was benevolent. I apologize for the beating you took from me."

Kanda chuckled in the dark. "You were right, moyashi."

"A-about what?"

"About the rape thing."

"Bastard, SO I WAS.."

"She tried to rape ME, not the other way around." Kanda frowned. That was the most horrible moment in his life. He heard Allen sit on the floor in the dark. "W-Why did you not resist? If you… Never mind. Good night, Kanda." Allen opened the door, letting a strip of light enter the room. Kanda could hear a smile in his voice. "Good night, Kanda." The door closed, leaving the older teen in velvet darkness.

He dreamed of angels that night.

________________________________

(1) Io means I in Italian. It IS NOT read like 'yo'. 'Ee'oh' is somewhat closer.

God, I'm so tired. This is so much fun!!

Dear readers, I turned into a monster that feeds on replies full of criticism, "nice!" kind of messages and … you get the idea! Please feed me!


	5. When You Whine, Choose Your Audience!

**Sorry everyone for not updating! I had some things to do that kept me away from the computer! **

**Wahh, I'm really sorry for OOC in the previous chapter! I am very grateful to those who reviewed and subscribed to this story! It makes me want to write more and more!**

___________________________When You Whine, Choose Your Audience!__________________________________

* * *

"Kanda! Kanda! Kan~da! KANDA!"

Allen smirked. He held a glass full of water with who-knows-what horrible intentions. He knew that it was his_ holly_ mission to make Kanda's life miserable. The sleeping exorcist was snoring softly with his face facing the ceiling. God, this was priceless! Allen blew an artificial breeze in Kanda's face. Hehe!

Kanda murmured something, choosing to remain unconscious. With his lips rounded, Allen created a miniature typhoon, blowing it in Kanda's nose with such accuracy the samurai almost suffocated in his sleep. Feeling uncomfortable, Kanda turned on one side, murmuring curses and scratching his face. He still slept like a dead baby. Allen giggled again. This is the moment of triumph! Like a finishing blow, the water was dumped in Kanda's ear. In the next fraction of a second, Allen was running as if Death itself was asking him for a date. Kanda's katana was close, _too close_ to the albino's rear; it even scratched his pants. The sword was attached to a hand, and the hand was glued to a very, _very_ pissed off Kanda.

Crap, this was bad. Very bad. Allen did not expect the samurai to wake up _immediately _after getting water in his _brain_; it seems he calculated the time a little bit differently. And he failed. Well, planning was not his strongest point. Cross never planned, and as a result it rubbed off on the apprentice.

'I WILL KILL YOU! YOU BLOODY BASTARD! HOW, _HOW_ DARE YOU DO THAT TO ME!"

Kanda was never so furious before. Pranks were things he expected from Lavi, not this freaking bastard! God, how he wanted his blood… He could see the source of his stress running in front of him, giggling like a school girl. With a thump, Kanda jumped on him throwing away Mugen. He would rather use the aforementioned blade, but he still needed a partner to finish his mission. Allen was squeaking shrilly under his rear. Kanda grabbed the boy by the head, tangling his fingers in the immaculate hair. In several leaps he was in somebody's bathroom soaking the strident screeching moyashi into the toilet with the amazing speed of four slams per second.

"I…blgh.. wanted…blgh..just…bkgh…TOWAKEYOU….blhgh…UP!!" Allen's kicking and punching was slowly becoming more hesitant. In a few minutes he just twitched weakly. Kanda let him go, feeling the water from the yucky bowl on his sleeves, hands, and face. "Idiot, now I have to change." He calmly stepped toward the faucet, letting his hands be scalded by the hellishly hot water. Tch. The soap was missing. "What the hell!" Kanda's eyes were undressing the bathroom in search of the bacteria-killer. Seeing not even a sorry bar of soap, Kanda finally kicked the half drowned Allen it the ribs.

"Get up, brat. Because of you…Oi, are you alive? Don't tell me you're in need of artificial respiration? 'Cuz you're not gonna get it, brat. I won't dirty my mouth with the likes of you, who just drank from the toilet." The lifeless figure positioned on the floor and apparently imitating a road kill did not respond. Tch. Kanda left, turning off the lights.

* * *

The finder sighed. This was soo hard. Since they left the nameless towns these two were killing each other with glares. The weather was too hot for November. Moreover, there was wheat growing on the fields. It must be an abnormal effect of Innocence around here. The wheat was emanating a special smell, the one people associate with summer.

On his right side Kanda stared at the world with hateful eyes; on his left side Allen was staring at Kanda with hateful eyes. In this Glare-Tennis mach the finder had the role of the net. He was penetrated by laser-like gawking and sounds of grating teeth. They needed to walk approximately ten miles through the fields to be greeted at the gates of the noble's manor. Yet this distance seemed _Hell_.

Kanda felt the sun frying his nerves. Moreover, that stupid thing had a bad habit of slobbering some apparently deadly rays directly on his eyes. Tch. Stupid contraption. Whoever the hell was regulating the temperature of the sun deserved to die a slow, excruciating death, preferably by Kanda's hands. Tch. Stupid flies. His face was bleeding sweat. The flies, feeling an extreme tendency to masochism sat on Kanda's face, waiting to be slapped. Their cadavers would fall off with a disgusted grunt on samurai's part.

Allen was not doing any better. He still could feel a sweetish, ghastly taste in his mouth as a payment for his previous actions. Hell, can't Kanda take a _joke_? Allen pouted. He silently decided to curse himself if he was going to talk to Kanda again. That prick. He was going to pay, and pay dearly.

Crap, the sun did not spare him either. Either it wanted to die his white hair into some fantastical fiery beast, or just wanted to burn it away leaving him bald. Either way was bad. Allen sighed heavily. He really hated this kind of journeys. He loved cities, with their busy streets, too busy to see his deformities and abnormally colored hair. The cities never questioned, they just welcomed. And now, the cities were everywhere except but not in this cemetery of dead inutile plants and living wheat. The pale yellow of the bread-grass was sickeningly bright. It reflected the sun with a special purpose: to pierce Allen's light eyes. Like bloody spears, no, needles…

He was never good with the hot weather. Being lightly colored, he was a constant target for UV rays. Allen shuddered. He remembered his last year's mission in Egypt. Heck, he was skinned six times by the sun. He distinctly remembered Lavi's eyes, gleaming gaily, making his grin impossibly happy. Huuh. Stupid sun.

"Oh God, why, why am I here? I could be sent in Siberia, or Greenland, or Antarctica! Why, oh why am I stuck here with The Prick of all Pricks, suffering such…" He felt a hot hand on his throat.

"What the hell did you say I am?" The madness was present everywhere: in the air, in Allen's mouth, and distinctly in Kanda's eyes.

"Whaaa~ t!" Allen's sing-song voice was especially annoying. "Did the sun melt your ear wax making you deaf? _Poo~r_ Girly-man, especially for you I will _kindly_ repeat my wor…"The next second he bit the ground.

"Shut your hole, Moyashi! If you don't…" Gah…It was too hot to argue… Moyashi muffled something, spitting the soil and a suspicious, crap colored lump out.

"You! WHAT DID Y'DO THAT FOR?" He was sitting like a geisha, with his legs under his ass. "I felt like it." "YOU FELT LIKE IT?!? DO YOU EVEN CONSI.." " Kanda-dono, Walker-dono, look, the mansion is right there!"

The finder's interruption acted like a slap. Both exorcists stopped bickering and turned with hope toward the direction the finder was pointing.

"Waaah! Finally! I can finally eat! I can finally rest! I can finally…"

"Shut it, creep. We need to walk four more miles until you'll get what your laundry list says."

Allen yelled back with his hands curled in fists. "Shut up Bakanda! You are the killer of Hope! Can't I dream? The road is always shorter when you think about pleasant things!"

"Pleasant? How pleasant is to see you stuffing your face with the food that could saturate Hunger itself! Be realistic!"

"Realistic? REALISTIC?!? How cruel, especially if realistic means seeing you eat soba as if that is the only thing in the world! You really need some _taste_ not only for _food_ but _coiffure_ too!"

"Don't touch my hair, bastard! At least it is better than your cotton bunch, shitty old man!" "I am NOT an old man, you Girly-man!"

"So, you're not denying the 'Shitty' part? How honest of you, shitty moyashi!"

"_Excuse my rudeness, you two, but I would like to welcome you into my humble home_.."

"Don't butt in, Insect!" "Don't butt in invertebrate!"

Just a second later Allen and Kanda were blushing in embarrassment, letting go of each other in the presence of the Count. The finder stared sheepishly at them. "Walker-dono, you were right. The road is shorter when you think of pleasant things…"

* * *

S**orry, this is shorter! My attention span is not very good. **

_**Everyone, I really need your opinion on this: Do you or not want to meet an Original Character? For some (cough*me*cough) is really hard to read a fan fiction that has OCs. Others might like it. So I really am in a pinch here! Please tell me via reviews!**_

**P.S. If you particularly liked something, of hated something, or "spied" some mistakes, please tell me via review. I also would like to know if you want me to answer them!**


	6. Never Introduce Yourelf First

**________________________________________________ Never Introduce Yourself First, It Could Cost You ... a Lot.**_____________________________________________________

* * *

"Welcome to my humble home! I presume you're very hungry and tired, so I'll send the maids to prepare three rooms for you. Please follow me this way!"

Both exorcists and the finder bowed with respect.

In his "bent" position, Allen could only see the shoes of the Count. They were black and shiny, as if somebody just licked them. Who knows what kind of tastes does nobility have... The only nobility Allen encountered in his life was the Indian Rahaja and his wife, two fat, huge, happy people. They were constantly pestering Allen who at the time was seven years old. Maybe they had liked him for who he was, not for who he could become.

Finally, he raised his head. Kanda was walking in front of him, careful not to touch anything, as if the whole house was made of glass.

Allen smirked. That Bakanda had no idea how to act in this kind of society. How cute! He might as well cover his ass, and _then _blackmail him endlessly.

"Oi, Moyashi, what the hell are you waiting for? Explain our mission, and don't forget what Komui said. He'll kill us if we come with empty hands..."

Allen felt an icy hand penetrating his backbone and twisting his nerves into a knot. He gulped thinking about Komurins, the huge perforator, and Lenalee's tears. He mentally saw two white coffins with black crosses on the lid. Wah, this is taking it too far, way too far...

The finder looked around. The mansion was surely big, but that was not important. It was expected. He heard many rumors about the Count's extravagant tastes, and now he could witness it personally. Lenalee will be so happy to get the notebook back, filled with all the details that usually are not appropriate in a mission report. That girl sure was a sucker for "It's a beginning of a beautiful relationship!" kind of stories. Well, it was expected considering her maniacal brother who would spend all funds of the Order inventing virginity belts for his baby sister...

Tch. What a useless house. There was too much of everything in it. The predominating color was a bloody red, accentuating the gold, white, and black. How tasteless. The heavy and old smell of the mansion overpowered Kanda's mind, leaving him a headache instead. There was a smell of lust, wine, and rich miasma of some fuming oriental candles. This house was the embodiment of things Kanda hated.

He watched the Count with suspicion. The man was young, with slanted catlike eyes and dark, curly hair. He was higher than Kanda and two shades darker. His skin had a strange, enchanting olive color.

"Ticky Mikk is my name. I am the one who contacted the Black Order." He graciously approached Kanda and offered his hand. His smile was sickeningly polite, just like Moyashi's.

Kanda took his hand and immediately regretted it. The count's hot and slender fingers were now exploring his palm without any shame. Kanda jerked his hand back, looking at the earl with a newborn hatred.

"What do you think you're doing, your fucking highness?"

(Somewhere, Komui dropped the huge drill.)

As if God needed witnesses so he can be sure how to judge the actions, Allen approached the pair watching them curiously.

"Oh, what do you mean, shounen? I was just being polite..."

He smirked. Kand tightened his lips. He sensed a disgusting gaze that made him tremble. He felt vulnerable and naked with those yellow eyes inspecting him. His hand crept towards the katana. The samurai was ready to use it anytime yet the smirking gaze did not bulge. Kanda cursed under his breath, feeling overpowered. Now the count's eyes laughed out loud as if he won the battle and the war. Kanda swallowed a salty lump in his throat. Damn bastard.

Ticky finally averted his eyes and mind off Kanda, turning toward the albino.

"And you are...Allen Walker, I suspect?"

"Yes sir, I am! Thank you for taking care of our finder." The brat naively extended his hand toward the earl, frowning at Kanda, as if he wanted to show what was the appropriate manner of doing things. The earl smiled at Allen openly revealing his teeth.

"Your figers are so long..." Allen's face suddenly flushed.

"Sir, I don.."

"Your hands are perfect for playing the piano. Come, shounen, I will show you..." Still holding brat's hand, Ticky Mikk, the earl of western grounds, invited Allen in a huge red room filled with books, hunting trophies, swords and a piano.

Kanda was left behind, speechless. He never suspected that a person could so rapidly change its actions. He blinked, then realizing what happened ran into the Red Room.

The scene that was revealed left him speechless for the second time this day. The count was bending over Moyashi's back, with one one of his hands on the brat's shoulder. Kanda did not see the second hand, but could guess that it covered Allen's fingers and the piano keys.

"Not like this, shounen..." Ticky's honey like voice had the consistency of snot in Kanda's mind. He could barely control his own body, restraining it from attacking the older man.

"Yes, just like that... You really are talented..." A simple sunny melody filled the air. Ticky did not need to conduct Allen's fingers anymore; the boy was playing the happy tune with a precision that left his teacher wordless.

Kanda approached the pair with a firm conviction of taking Allen out of the room and... Why the hell should he do that?! That brat surely can take care of himself, right? Tch.

Kanda turned around to leave when the music changed. From gay and sunny it became dark, sad, and quiet. The music was reaching Kanda's ears in a slow rhythm as if hesitating, as if begging to stay and listen. And he did. Somehow he knew for whom this melody was played. The exorcist closed his eyes, letting the sound waves penetrate his whole being. He could hear the moonlight, the dust in the air and the movement of moyashi's fingers. Involuntarily, the teen came closer to the piano, close enough to touch the keyboard. He watched him play that instrument noticing moyashi's peaceful face, half opened lips, and pale fingers. The brat did not look stupid anymore. He did something Kanda never expected him to do: show his true face. For the first time that smile was real. The mask fell, leaving a moonlight beauty. That song suited him. It was not creepy or depressing, just sad. A passive sadness that the kid always fought, trying to cover it with useless, stupid masks. A deeply hidden admiration toward the brat was finally revealed by a simple question:

"What is this song called?" Kanda did not see Allen's awestruck face. He was facing the door, avoiding to admit what exactly he felt. "You mean... you like it?!" The fingers left the instrument and now were touching Kanda's sleeve. "It's called 'Moonlight Sonata.' It was a song Mana taught me..."

"Oh, I knew it. So, you already can play the piano, ne, shounen? Why didn't you tell me?" The count's voice remained the same, sweet, sticky like a spider web. Yet his eyes were not in unison with the intentioned face. They became hard and careful, like a feline's. One of his hands was tapping impatiently on the piano's lid.

"But you did not ask me, your highness. And I thought it would be a pleasant surprise...."  
The count smiled, appeased. "Oh, believe me, it was. I have never heard a more beautiful melody. It really suits you, shounen. It's so fragile... I feel the urge to break it..." Kanda frowned. Now he liked this man even less. Even if this bastard is a would be Exorcist, the samurai could not help but feel a strange antipathy. As if sensing Kanda's thoughts, the count faced him smiling.

"You really are a lucky man, Kanda. Having a cute kid like him next to you for quite some time...I'm envious..."

"What are you implying, bastard?" This was the worst. The samurai couldn't hold any longer. He did not care who or what the man was, that bastard deserved to die.

"Oh, how scary... shounen. I would advise you put that away. One of us could get hurt." The count gently waved his hand, smiling apologetically. Allen was looking at Kanda as if the teen just raped his nonexistent mother.

"And who would be that?" The samurai gripped his sword, feeling that the clash is near.

"Me, of course!" The count was laughing loudly now, making Allen smile relieved and Kanda gawk.

He was red with shame and fury. That bloody bastard was laughing at him now. He bit his lip, trying to suppress some curses that surely will make the planet explode. The count watched him with a mocking smile.

"Oh, Kanda-kun, I think you should save the glares for later. I am not in the mood for ...never mind. Come, guests. I have been terribly rude to you, but my curiosity is rumored in these parts. Come, the maids prepared the supped already." He smiled amicably, placing a long slender hand on Moyashi's shoulder.

* * *

"Kanda, what do you think about our host?"

Allen had a bad habit entering in the most awkward situations. Kanda cursed and caught his falling towel.

"Oh, I'm sorry... I... Ghahahahaha!" The kid sat on the floor, laughing his head off.

"Shut up, moyashi. Shut it and get out. I'm not in the mood for stupid fights." Kanda slowly reached for the bathrobe, leaving the towel fall. Tch. maybe this will make the bean sprout leave.

"God made you well, Kanda." Allen was looking at him openly, with admiration.

"Really well." Kanda turned to stone. What...?! Isn't he nervous seeing a naked person? Moreover, why the hell is he still here? He slipped into his bathrobe, averting his eyes. This was weird. Moyashi was never so relaxed in is presence before, so why of all times now? Or maybe...

"Oi, moyashi. What the hell did the bastard tell you?"

"Huh? What did he tell me? Should he tell me something?" No, that was not it. The brat was sincere, he could see that in his eyes. Then why...

"Kanda... Did you really like the song?" Allen spoke softly, looking away. The words were hard to pull out, and even harder to voice. The boy clenched his fists, feeling the tenseness of the fingers in the palm.

"I could play it for you again, if you want..." He was looking down now with concentration, as if he just discovered Atlantis under the carpet.

Something definitely was not right. Kanda frowned. He did not expect this.

"Why do you think I want to hear it again?"

Allen raised is eyes looking both shocked and hurt.

"Y-you ask why?" His face darkened and he got up. "Never mind. Good night." He grabbed the doorknob as if that thing was the portal to Hell.

"I don't like him" Kanda opened the bag, taking out a comb. "What?" Allen stopped. Kanda smiled inwardly, feeling a hint of hope in the boy's voice.

"It's the answer to your first question." Allen turned around, smiling sheepishly.

"I can see why. Man is a total womanzer. I mean..." The brat stopped, realizing Kanda's glare. "...I think he hits on everything that has a.... a... everything that moves!" Kanda sneered.

"That's a good one, moyashi." He sat on the bed, starting to comb his hair. Crap. If he wasn't so hopelesly stubborn and touchy about his manhood, he would surely buy one of those pink bottles with 'detangler' written on them. Kanda sudenly stopped tangling his hair, becoming aware of a bean sprout standing in front of him, eyes still inspecting the floor.

"What?"

"I... Can I...." He mumbled something under his nose. His face was hidden by the hair. Kanda frowned. "What? I can't hear you, moyashi."

"I'M NOT A BEAN SPROUT, BAKANDA! MY NAME IS ALLEN, ALLEN, ALLEN!" Kanda swept the blood from his ears.

"What do you want from me, MOYASHI?"

"I TOLD YOU...." The brat sighed, defeated. "Do you want me to help with the hair? I think you're tangling it even worse."

"Scram. I can do a pretty good job myself." Allen pouted.

"When someone offers, you must take it. It's just common sense."

"No, that's _your _common sense. The common sense that got us lost in the middle of a shitty town."

"I did not get us lost! I just suggested to take the shortcut!"

"Idiot, what kind of moron follows a sign that has 'SHORTCUT' written on it?!? Ah, I forgot it's a 'you' kind of--"

Allen was on the bed, behind Kanda. His fingers were in the black mess. The comb disappeared, leaving Kanda gawking at the place where seconds ago a bean sprout was.

"What do you..."

"You are really a moron, Kanda. Sometimes just shut up and let me win."

* * *

**This story is set before the exorcists meet the Noah. I really like Ticky, he's fun to write. Please, if anything seems OCC, tell me, please! I really want to improve my writing (I got a C in my English class, and that still makes me puke blood...)  
**

**Agh... I feeling down today... Anyway, I hope you're not disappointed. Thank you people for telling me not to use OC. I don't like OC, and it would be a pain to write a ffc. with a unknown person.**

**Thank you for reading this!**


	7. A Good Morning Is Not A Guaranty

Ch 7

______________________________________________**A Good Morning Is Not A Guaranty Of A Good Day**_____________________________________________________________

"Brat, it's five in the morning already, now get your ass out of the bed and start kicking!"

Allen hated mornings, especially the ones in which Kanda took the burden of waking him up. He loved to sleep long dreams, some of them invented by himself, others naturally brought by brain waves.

"Bakanda, have you ever heard of the word 'peace'? It's the one I want right now. So please, go away!" As if expecting that the older man would listen and leave him be, Allen buried his face into the pillow. This house really was a rich one. The bed was a small wonder by itself. Allen smiled in his sleep, remembering how he jumped on it yesterday, creating quite a ruckus. He hit his head twice and fell more than five times, but it was worth it. He has never been so hopelessly happy before. He felt like a child in each jump. His body still remembered the salto mortale he tried (and failed) to execute. Oh well, one more bump doesn't count.

"I told you to get up, midget! What part of the word don't you understand?" Tch. Sleeping dolt. He really had the nerve to anger him now, when he was in desperate need of his presence. That Count was smirking at him every time he saw the man. Tch, creep. If all nobles were like that….Kanda shuddered, and then averted his attention from the depressing thoughts.

He suddenly remembered Allen's sonata. It rang in his ears throughout the night, making him curse. It was an enchanted song that turned everything slowly to dust. Kanda watched the brat sleeping. The white of his hair revolted the pillow, making it seem gray. Before realizing his actions, Kanda touched the pale cheek of the boy, carefully and attentively, as if it was a butterfly. So soft… Kanda jerked his hand away as if it could taint the virginity of the skin. The brat snored softly, like a strange animal. He was so peculiar. Too white. Too odd.

Kanda bit his lip. It became a habit now. As if responding to his own questions, his reflection entered the mirror. Kanda watched himself with scrutiny, like a stranger. A tall, bonny young man glared back, displeased with the staring. His hair was wet and dripping. Dark. He was dark. Everything about him was so black and pessimistic. He touched his face, feeling the fine hairs on the cheek. He didn't shave yet. His face wasn't soft, not like Allen's. He was different. Tch. What the hell was he doing? Stupid mirror.

"Kanda?" The boy was sitting up, startled." What are you doing here? I thought you gave up on waking me up and left…" Kanda snapped from his trance, turning around. He was so close to the boy he could see the fine skin on his lips. He suddenly felt the urge to touch it.

"Get off your ass and get going. The bastard said something about akuma in his forest." He turned around and froze at what he saw. In the door frame, with an elegant smile, Ticky Mikk was eyeing the whole thing. Realizing he was seen, he entered the room and paced toward Kanda.

"Good morning, Kanda-kun. And you, shounen, look so adorable asleep." He smirked again, eyeing Kanda slyly. Allen fidgeted, blushing. The count muttered something, looking at him admiringly.

"I am certain I am not the only one that thinks this, isn't that right, Kanda-kun?" Kanda gritted his teeth. He felt dirty, no,_ dirtied_ by this bastard's gaze, by his words and actions. He was afraid of him, afraid as one would fear a monster, a nightmare or a shark. He loathed him, he was disgusted by him. He feared those thread-like fingers, and yellow eyes that touched him, exposing by digging into his soul. If he could, he would kill him in a matter of a second, leaving his corpse there. Ticky drew nearer, causing Kanda to tremble and curse under breath.

"Ah, how rude of me. I suspect that Allen-kun wants to get up, do you not, shounen?" Allen nodded timidly. He was always intimidated by the man's presence. It made him uneasy and self-conscious.

"Well, let us leave, Kanda-kun. We don't want to see the shounen exposed, don't we?" His gaze laughed, leaving Kanda raging. He got up and left quickly. This monster was too… too difficult.

* * *

In the hall way, the count stopped smiling.

"Kanda-kun, I believe you came here to determine whether I am a host." His eyes were cold; if yellow could be a cold color. Kanda watched him under the bangs. He did not like his tone, or his look.

"You did not show what you can do, your highness. How are we suppose—"

"Come to the hunt with me today, shounen. I will show you." He narrowed his cat eyes.

"You can take the brat with you, I won't mind." His voice was full of scorn, as if he was talking about something too low to be said out loud. The count closed his eyes and smirked. His hand suddenly flashed near Kanda's face, touching his cheek and lower lip. Kanda backed away while his katana was touching Count's throat.

"Bastard, you…" Kanda hissed, wiping his face. "Don't you dare touch me, monster!" The count's smile vanished. He raised his face defiantly.

"Monster? Me? Shounen, be careful. I am not as kind or patient as I may seem. I am a human too…" He smiled again, that disgusting all-knowing smile… God, why are you choosing him as your exorcist?

________

* * *

"Kanda….could you move more forward? I think I'm going to fall…" Tch. The horse was black and tall, if a horse can be called tall. Moyashi was holding on him as if he was his hugging toy or something…. Tch. Kanda fidgeted in the saddle, trying to make himself comfortable. The hunt was Ticky's idea; the bastard finally agreed to show them what his innocence was like. Kanda sighed. The brat could not ride horses. That was surprising; the Japanese thought he could do anything. Tch. Stupid Moyashi. He could feel his small hands on the stomach, keeping him warm.

"Kanda, move forward! I'm really going to fall!" Tch. The horse was stopped and Allen met the ground. He got up yelling shrilly and shaking his fist.

"What was that for, Bakanda? I just asked you to move, not drop me!" Kanda tcheed. Now he was comfortable, without those disturbing hands on his abdomen.

"It's your fault you can't ride, Moyashi." He smirked. "You can walk, can't you? Now we're both satisfied!" The hunt was far ahead, leaving the exorcists in the middle of the pine forest. Allen started yelling at him again, accusing him for being a jerk, idiot and a child molester.

"Oya? Shounen, I had no idea you can curse like a sailor!" Kanda jolted, frightening the horse. What the hell was _he_ doing here?! Ticky did not even look at him. He extended his arms, lifting the brat in his own saddle. Allen was too lost for any reaction. This was too strange. He could feel that something else was going on, something he did not know. The boy jumped up, startled by a large hand on his lower abdomen.

"Are you comfortable, my boy?" The count's voice touched his ear, hot and ticklish. It sent an electric shock throughout his body. He sent a pleading gaze toward Kanda. The teen watched the whole scene, hissing like a pissed off mamba.

"Bastard, let him go!" Kanda's voice was hoarse, strangely containing a mix of rage, disgust, and blind wrath. The count blinked, forcing an artificial amazement on his face.

"Why? Is something _wrong_?" As if trying to accentuate his innocent intentions, he leaned on the boy, hugging his waist. Ticky cocked his head, trying to meet the presumable victim's eyes.

"You are comfortable_ now_, are you not, shounen?" The poor boy mumbled something, trying to squirm out from the dangerous presence. Failing at it miserably, he finally replied loudly, his eyes glinting dangerously.

"Let me down, you highness. I can walk. I dare not burden you further." Ticky glanced at Kanda, then at the boy in his saddle.

"Oh, I see…So you two are… hmmm…." He let the child down, still looking intently at the samurai.

"I have no need for this masquerade now. You lost, shounen." The count clicked his fingers. As if obeying the signal, the horse started kicking and biting the air, forcing the samurai to fall on the ground. He sunk his teeth into his own tongue, letting the metallic taste fill the mouth.

Suddenly, a whistling sound split his ears in teeny tiny bits. Kanda hit the ground again, clenching his head. He heard Moyashi's scream, affected by another high pitched and painful screech. A blinding purple light shot his eyes, entering his brain. Painful. Painful. Painful. The blood filled his throat, forcing out the air and life. He jumped away from the kicking horse, barely evading one of her hooves. The end of the reins whipped his back as he was trying to stand up. He saw Moyashi activate his anti akuma weapon, giving Kanda enough time to get up and look for Mugen. What he saw made him shiver with thrill. Finally! Finally! Several akuma were shooting down purple beams of light, killing the horse and the riders. The hounds were crying out in pain, curling the tails between the legs and baring the sharp fangs. They were afraid, they wanted to live.

In this madness Allen felt secure. He knew this was his place, this was his fate. The Akuma cried again, shooting another dog that sank its fangs into the fallen flesh. The dog rolled away, leaving a strange blood pattern on the ground. It was red and warm. He knew that just because he fell on it, slipping. The dog wasn't dead; it twitched, as if the desire to live was too great for the torn apart body. Bitterness and shame filled the albino. Who decided other's life? Who had that power? God? Devil? He gritted his teeth and shot the dog. The tail twitched again -- then fell, powerless.

Kanda couldn't find Mugen. He must have dropped it in the fight. Suddenly he saw a katana, at last. The katana lost its scabbard and was split in half by length, looking more dangerous than ever. He grabbed it by the hilt, feeling its weight in his grip. It was soothing, calming even. Now he only needed to find the bastard. The hunt turned out to be a bloodbath, a trap, in which the exorcists fell stupidly. Tch. He suddenly thrust the sword into somebody behind him. The presence smirked, giving itself away.

Ticky was next to Moyashi in a second. The boy shot him twice, before he clenched his throat. Kanda plunged ahead, without thinking. He could see the whites of Allen's eyes, as he gasped for life. As if purposely, Ticky showed his back to the samurai. Tch. How careless. That bastard will die because of his own stupidity. Kanda sneered, feeling happy for the first time in many days. He thrust his sword into the man's body, waiting for the blood to spill.

As in a hellish nightmare, the blade plunged through, as if she bit pure air. Suddenly, a small squeak and Allen stared lifeless at the petrified Kanda. The blade was entering his chest and exiting through back. Ticky disappeared, leaving Allen fall on his knees. The boy coughed gently, as if careful not to interrupt the blood flow. Kanda stood straight, a strange stiffeness was commanding his body. It has to be a dream. It must be. He approached Allen carefully as if wanting to make sure this was an illusion.

"Kan…da …be..hind…" A warm hand was gripping his throat, cutting his airways. His mind went blank. Somehow he knew it was hopeless to struggle. He could not take his sight away from the fallen boy, calling his name. The broken katana was still piercing him, like needle would prick a butterfly.

"Eh, shounen? Still looking at your friend there? How rude.." Kanda was shoved against a tree, the hand still gripping his throat. The bastard was sparing him, letting him respire. Kanda felt a horrible pain in his head. The eyes could perceive peculiar white and red spots dancing madly. His face was clasped by another hand. The count forced him to avert his shocked gaze from Allen. Now he could see him…No, it has to be an illusion. There were millions and millions of butterflies, huge and gray. A pair of yellow slanted eyes was looking down on him, laughing derisively.

"Shounen! I think it's the time you use your infamous glares!" He laughed loudly, shaking his curly hair. Then he paused, sliding a palm on the exorcist's chest. Kanda did not move. That action almost made him barf. He tried to tilt his head to see the wounded boy.

"Or did you finally submit your will to fight? Let me guess….You just lost your reason to fight, shounen."

"Shut it….fucking bastard…you will die…I swea..argh…" A muffled cry of pain was torn from his lips. Ticky's threadlike fingers were touching his heart. The muscles tensed, rising the pace of beating.

"You were saying, shounen?" The count whispered the words into his ear, as if it was an old and horrible secret. He chuckled, still against Kanda's ear.

"You are so naïve Yuu… I just needed to push your buttons slightly. Falling into a simple trap like that…Hn. That brat was a good tool. You liked him, did you not? Too bad, now he's dying by your own hand…"

* * *

Not so humorous, this chapter. Hn. Thank you so much for the revews! You have no idea how much joy I have reading them!


	8. Plan your last words!

Ch8

This is dedicated to **kitsun3kidd** who requested an akuma fight and its legacy. I hope you like it, kitsun3kidd !!!

**______________Always plan your last words!_______________________**

The clouds were silent. They were impassible creatures, without a care in the world. They cried sometimes, laughed sometimes, and then died, licked by the wind. But they never, never looked down to watch the people. Humans were foolish creatures, driven by a strange will to live and exist.

Allen was cold. That damn thing bit his body like a mad dog. For some curious reason, the cold hurt too. It screeched like a ghoul, tearing his ears apart. He tried to shield himself from it hugging his own body. A sharp pain filled him upon movement. Something was not right. Something was very wrong. He slowly lowered his head, chin touching the chest. A blade ran through him, like a huge needle in a bug. Oh, g-god… The boy's eyes filled with tears. He only realized that now. He was dying. He was dying without even having lived. Oh..God…

"Keep… w-walking.." He panted. His eyes became steely, hardening his childlike features. The pain will be gone. It will leave. He needed just a little, just to keep trying, to keep trying to live. He grasped the hilt of the broken sword. The touch sent a painful throb through his body. It will hurt just a bit, just a teeny tiny bit. He laughed, his voice trembling. It will hurt. He knew it. But for some reason, he had to lie, to lie even if he knew the truth. How stupid. He slowly tried to pull the sword out, then cried in pain, wriggling. Too painful. Too damn painful. The tears rolled down, scalding his cheeks. Painful. The flesh was raw and bleeding. Suddenly he saw Kanda's face covering the sky. The man frowned, displeased with something.

"K-kanda… You're alive…I'm s-so gl-"

"Shut it, moyashi. You'll die if you talk." Kanda frowned and narrowed his eyes, trying to keep a cry of fury, rage, and pain inside. He was dying. That little boy was dying.

"K-kanda...a-are you..c-crying?" Allen's skin was reacting to a wet and hot droplet fallen on his face.

"I'm drooling, dolt. Tch." Why won't the damn water stop?!

"K-kanda…d-don..frown.. You.. a-are mu-ch pre-prettier..when… you smile.."

"I don't smile, idiot." Kanda was crushing his own hand. The pain made him forget for a second how to respond.

"S-Sure you do…wh-hen y-you sleep…" Moyashi tried to curve his lips in a hopeless attempt to smile, ignoring the jolt of agony.

"I wa-tched ..you..almo..st e..every n-night.." Kanda's eyes widened and the breath stopped, strangled by an invisible hand.

"Y-you what..?" The boy closed his eyes.

"I'm..cold…"

_________

* * *

He opened his eyes. The ceiling was white and boring. It resembled a map of the world before Creation. He never liked white. It was a powerless color, color of purity which he never had. He rolled his head, trying to spot the window. There was one, apparently, but it was cut behind him, no, above him. This was not his room. Where was this white hole? In the HQ? In the count's castle? He snapped, remembering. He was hurt. That was obvious. He could feel the ant of pain climbing his chest, making it hard to breathe. Huh. He's alive. He's alive. He is alive!

It seems that he attempted to shout the words out stating the happiness that engulfed him. Instead, a dreadful hoarse moan came out, filling his lungs with a horrible blinding pain.

"Oi, moyashi! You awake?" A back head popped out of nowhere, frowning like a nurse who just have found a piece of crap on the table. The man sat on the bed, making it grumble.

"Ka..ka.." He couldn't answer. The words were dying, never leaving the lips. Ow…

"I said don't speak. Not that I care but you are mutilating my nam-"

"Yuu…" This was certainly shorter and more comfortable. Kanda replied with a frown. Suddenly, pale fingers touched his brow. He stiffened, trying to comprehend the sudden movement. Allen was touching his face carefully. He rounded his lips in an unnecessary (Kanda pov) attempt to form words.

"..told ..don..fro..n.." He parted his lips again, eyes narrowed in pain. Kanda slowly reached for the fragile hand, and slowly took it down. It was cold, as if the blood abandoned it, leaving an alabaster white. With the same painful slowness he lowered his face, almost touching the albino's chest.

"Moyashi…I'm so glad you're alive." He could hear the soft breathing of the boy, the heart beat with its small sluggish pace. He hoped moyashi never heard them, he just needed them out. Those words were burning his chest. The fallen hand was in the air again. It combed his hair, drawing the long fingers through it. The hands slowly pulled down the hair tie, letting the river fall on Kanda's shoulders.

Kanda 's hair. It was so black, it hurt the eyes. It looked soft. It was. It was silky, like Lenalee's but smelled differently. It was a strange smell, he never sensed it before. The glossy strands ran through his fingers like water. He smiled guiltily at Kanda who lifted his head, looking a little lost and confused.

"Moyashi….what are you…No. Never mind, you shouldn't talk." Allen tried to shift, but just groaned. The pain was there, hidden in the folds of cotton that bandaged his chest. Guessing his actions, Kanda removed the cover and changed the boy's position, putting him on one side. Now the wound could breathe. He just needed to make sure he did not fall on his back again.

"Moyashi, you just rest like that. Don't turn or anything, it'll be bad.." The small hand tugged him weakly by the shirt. He was moving his lips, yet no sound was born. Kanda knelt in front of the bed, making sure they had the same eye level.

"What?"

"Cold…I co.." Kanda suddenly remembered the night in the forest. He abruptly got up and left, abandoning the boy.

Allen stared dispiritedly into the white of the room. His eyes hurt, inviting darkness and sleep. With the sleep came Death of Memory.

* * *

Kanda came back with a huge load of thick blankets. He thumped them on the floor with a pant. Now moyashi won't be cold. Ever. It was impossible for him to be cold now. He grinned, staring at the huge pile. It resembled the tale of the princess who slept on a bean. Moyashi. He's going to be the bean. Huh. If Lavi was here he would have laughed, rolling on the floor like a yo-yo. Thank God he wasn't here. Kanda averted his eyes from the pile, letting them rest on the kid.

The brat was unconscious for two weeks now. And today he finally awoke. From now on, it's all frowned, darkening. Kanda reached for his own neck, squeezing it. The fucking bastard left him suddenly, deciding his fate just like that. The count never returned, abandoning his mansion and the servants. the servants left it too, Kanda bit his long suffering lip. He hated this place, yet he couldn't leave it. The hot weather still insisted, even though the calendar stupidly pointed at December already. It was abnormal. Tch.

He pulled a blanked over moyashi. The brat still shuddered even under five woolen layers. That moyashi. Kanda chuckled, still having no idea why he did it. The boy rolled on his back, covering the wound. He gasped in his sleep, stiffening his petite body. Crap, he did it again. Kanda hated long sleepless nights. They made him so bitchy... (_N/A That's not possible.) _He already turned him from side to side five times this day. Damn moya-. No. Just moyashi. Kanda undressed, getting under the covers. He turned the sleeping boy again, supporting him from the back. Now he is not going to fall. Ever. Kanda sighed, sneaking a hand under the brat's snowy head. The second arm embraced the boy, gluing him to the samurai. He will never be cold. Ever.

The brat was skinny before, but now even a blind imbecile could learn anatomy on him. He resembled a skeleton, with skin tightly pulled around the bones. Allen reddened timidly, feeling the scrutinizing gaze. He was laying in the bed with no means to get up. The only thing he could do was to raise his arms and head. He could also bend his legs, but apparently something happened to them, making Kanda furious every time he moved his locomotor apparatus. Oh, when will he finally eat by himself...

The spoon was in the air again, nuzzling his lips. He masticated with all his might, some of the soup falling on his chest. Today he made a **_huge_** discovery. Kanda couldn't cook. No, technically he could put the bunch of products together and blend them. But the vegetable monster was then successfully burned, chopped, and boiled, not leaving even an ounce of edible pieces. It tasted like horse shit and smelled like a veggie breathing corpse.

"By Baus if bull...(_glomp_)...My mouth is full! I can't take in so much food in one step! And where did you get this spoon? It looks like a ladle to me!"

"Shut your trap, lamebrain! This way will be faster!" Kanda raised a huge spoon that could probably hold a half of gallon of liquid. He frowned, trying to stuff it into moyashi's trap hole. It didn't. He just spilled it on his face and chest. Nahh, he needed to bathe him. The brat did not have even a shower for two weeks.

"Is it me or did your vulg vocabulary updated?! Eww, what's that?! It's still alive!!! Kanda, what the hell are you feeding me?!?" Kanda frowned, trying to distinguish movement in the black bowl in his hand. He could faintly see something...he thought. Never mind. It is not possible. He dropped that thing twice on the floor so he boiled it a few hours to kill the infection (_There is no infection in food!)._ It cannot be alive.

"There is nothing there, moyashi. Just shut up and eat, I feel like a fucking nurse..." Allen scowled, displeased.

"Kanda, don't speak such words. It's vulgar. It doesn't suit you." The older man gave him the evil eye.

"I shall speak as I please." He raised his chin pompously, trying to look "noble". "You don't know what suits me, dolt." the Ladle was inserted in the mouth, hitting the boy's teeth.

"Yeah, I do." Moyashi opened the mouth wider, waiting for the ladle to be injected in his oral cavity. It did not. It froze touching his lower lip. The boy extended his neck, thinking that giraffes are cool. The huge spoon waited. Allen raised his eyes, trying to figure out what happened. Kanda was watching him intensely, making him uneasy.

"What?"

"...nothing." The spun was stuffed in him with a bloody ferocity that made Allen yelp with pain.

"Ka..! KANDA! WHAT THE HELL IS YOUR PROBLEM?!? YOU ARE GOING TO KILL ME! BY GOD, YOU ARE WORSE THAN AKUMA!" Allen bit his upper lip. How the hell could Kanda be so crude?

The man got up abruptly. He rapidly hoisted the kitchen utensils and left, vamoosing out of the room. He heard Allen calling him back with regret in his voice.

That's not it. He dropped the bowl on the floor, and stared at it, as if he just woke up. Mechanically he moved towards the sink and let the water run on his soup stained and cut fingers. He felt sick, as sick as he never felt before. It's wrong. It's wrong. He gagged, but nothing came, only a strange howling that ripped his lips, wanting out. This was wrong. He cowered on the floor as if something could hit him. The sensation of throwing up came again, tossing his head into the sink. He had never been so sick in his life.

What did _he_ know? _He_ didn't. _He_ was so freaking naive! That idiot behaved as if he knew Kanda better than no one in this damn world! He knew nothing! The brat was already been hurt, and now... He couldn't do it to him. This was too low, too shameful. For both of them. Kanda vomited, holding back the tears. His throat split in pain, forcing out the acidic paste. He just got him back. He just came back to life. Why now, why now!?

He suddenly remembered Ticky, with his yellow eyes, touching his face. The gagging came back, ripping his stomach apart. What did that man feel? Kanda started coughing, not able to hold in the scratching beast in his throat. Moyashi would probably be disgusted with him like Kanda was with Ticky. The touches, past and future would have a different meaning than that of camaraderie. Stop. Stop! It hurts! He coughed again, as his intestines panicked and rushed outside. He'll just kill them. Just...suppress them. He couldn't kill them. Yes. That's a good plan. He will just suppress everything and then... He blinked, feeling a cold touch on his cheek.

"Mo-mo-moyashi! What...?" Allen was there, leaning on the door for support. He felt a strange sensation in his legs. He could walk. He could do that without problems. Just his chest hurt a little and it was hard to talk... he collapsed on the floor. Oh, never mind. He mentally he took his words back. Throwing a glance at Kanda the boy cocked his head and smiled. He really looked like a thirteen-year-old kid.

"Kanda, I think I'll take the cooking chores now. I see you felt the effect of your cooking yourself!"

_______________--

I think the end part is lame... SUMIMASEN!!!!


	9. Apologies tend to be useless

Ch 9

**Mmmm, lately I have been watching Nabari no Ou. It's so cool! I love the little guy, he reminds me of Ciel Phantomhive from Kuroshitsuji. Just more passive. Blah blah bla… Let's go to the story.**

**_________________Apologies tend to be useless________________  
**

"Kanda, are you sure I can use it? You won't mind?" Allen was holding a blue sleeveless sweater. It was knit, warm. Allen buried his face in it, feeling the fluffiness of the cashmere. It smelled of pines and grass. The boy smiled, his face hidden in the article of clothing. It smelled like Kanda, just fainter. Behind him, Kanda was sorting his clothes. They needed to get back to HQ, and really fast. He frowned, detecting a strange smell in the room.

"Oi, moyashi, did you fart?" Allen gaped, turning around and sticking his fist out, revolted.

"Whaaa? I did not! I don't smell anything! Maybe it's your stinking breath!"

Kanda ignored the fool, inhaling the air in small portions, like a dog. He wondered across the room, sniffling, trying to detect the source of foul miasma. Allen tilted his head, watching him with curiosity. Kanda changed a lot. He always thought Kanda was a stoic samurai, incapable of mistakes, feelings, and other crap that makes a person weak. The Kanda he grew to know was an entirely different person.

Kanda was approaching towards the oblivious boy like a shark, in circles.

He was kind. Allen smiled again, gentleness overflowing his mind. He was careful and strong. He always put the honor and pride before himself, his and his Order's pride. The boy raised his face from the depths of the fuzzy sweater. This man nursed him, ignoring his own needs, forgetting his pain and, to some extent, manliness. He giggled, remembering the day Kanda first fed him.

The shark moved dangerously close.

Yup, now Kanda was so nice as to give him his own sweater, because the only clothes he had were pierced, bloody, and really dirty. He suddenly was grabbed by the neck.

"Don't move, Moyashi. It was you after all!" He smacked his head, a bit furious.

"But I didn't! I can control my body very well! And I still don't fe-" Kanda was too close. His nose was almost touching his chest, finally detecting the source.

"Allen, did you change your bandages?"

" I did, a few hours ago."

"It smells rotten." Kanda straightened up, looking coldly at the boy.

"But I swear I changed them! Why would I lie?" He watched the tall man boldly, revolted.

"Because you're ashamed." Kanda watched him like an experienced surgical specialist dissecting a mouse.

"I..ug…I'm not! I really di-Kanda what are you doing?!? Let me down!!!" Crap, the man was tall. Here, from his shoulder, he could probably hit his head with the door. Kanda gripped the squirming boy, trying to balance him on the shoulder and avoid being kicked in the face with the knees.

"Don't move, brat, or you'll hit your head with the doo—"

Too late. Allen gasped, clenching his head. He saw rainbow colored stars and bright dots jumping madly up and down. Kanda rolled his eyes, shocked by his partner's stupidity. A few more steps and they were in a luxurious bathroom. Tch. Ticky really had a bad sense of fashion. This place was made for twenty people to take a bath. This won't do. He sighed suppressing an annoyed swear.

Moyashi was screeching on his shoulder like a miniature Medusa, threatening to sue him for rape, molestation, and other nasty themes. At some point, the brat hit him with the knee directly in the face, yelling "Bull's eye!!!" then proceeded to bang in Kanda's back with his small sharp fists. Kanda thumped him on the floor, then straightened, slightly resembling The Babel tower before destruction.

"WOULD YOU CUT IT OUT?!? DO YOU WANT TO DIE, YOU STUPID PIECE OF SHIT??? BE GRATEFUL, BASTARD, THAT I AM TAKING CARE OF YOU, AND QUIT MAKING MY DAYS HELL!!!"

Allen eyed him, his face growing livid with every word.

"I make your days hell?" he whispered, chuckling. "What a joke. Did you ever think about MY days? Do you know how humiliating it is for me to be babysat, like some child, by you? Do you know what's it like to be powerless, waiting for help, and then swallowing the pride, to receive it faking the gratitude? I am a soldier, Kanda. Just because I look like this doesn't mean I have no pride, or honor, or… I don't want you to touch me, thinking that I am a burden. I can take care of myself, change my own bandages. Don't you ever dare touch me, not with those thoughts. If you do, I will kill you, mentally. I can do it well, believe me."

He stood up, taking his overgrown shirt off. The bandages hugged him from the upper part of the torso, down to the hips. He activated his akuma weapon, and still smirking, cut slowly through the fabric, facing Kanda. The older man just stared mutely. He never thought of him as burden. He never…

The bandages fell off, revealing a badly reeking wound. Allen frowned, trying to contain the pain of reaping off the bandages glued to his back. His façade wouldn't hold any longer, he needed to hurry. The cotton was stuck in his back wound, glued by time, pus, and blood. He needed to rip it off rapidly. He clenched his jaws and bent his hand backward, trying to get a hold of the bandage. With every movement, the body cried out, not able to suppress the pain.

"You're not a soldier. You are just a dumb brat with no sense of direction. Soldiers don't hold speeches, they act." Something hot and wet was placed on Allen's back. Kanda was behind him, with a wet towel soaked in hot water.

"Kanda, I tol-"

"I don't care what you tell me. I wasn't listening. I was thinking about soba and hot tea." The words fell like huge gigantesque axes on Allen's foot. His eyes narrowed, trying to hold in the anger.

"You are such a jerk, you know that? Do you even have any respect for me? Why do you always have to be such an ass? What did I ever do to you to earn that hatred?" He was staring over his own shoulder, trying to catch a glimpse of Kanda's eyes. The man jerked the bandage off in a fling of fury. Allen snarled loudly grimacing at the blinding pain.

"WHAT ARE YOU DOING? IT HURTS LIKE HELL!!!!"He reached out trying to grab Kanda's arm away, away from his body.

"Tch. Soldier my foot. You can't even endure one of the basic things."

"BASIC ????? IS BEING PIERCED BY A SWORD BASIC?!? YOU BASTARD!!! Why, why are you doing this to me?? Why are you hurting me?" The boy shook in uncontrollable bawling.

"Kanda, do you even realize what you're doing?" Kanda watched him coldly and then turned his eyes away.

"You are pathetic, moyashi. You have no right to call yourself a soldier. I have no mercy for weaklings." He turned away, pacing out of the steamy room. At the door he stopped and said loudly, shattering the pieces of hope still intact.

" I should have left you die. I had no idea you can be such a burden." The door clanged, allowing Kanda leave.

Allen screamed as if somebody inserted a red iron in his ass. He hated him, oh how he hated him! He squirmed on the floor, unable to influence his jerking body. He started to laugh, madly and sinisterly, feeling despair and insanity dominating his head. He kicked the wall, crushing the toes, yet not feeling pain. The ceiling watched him impassively. His nails dug into the white skin, leaving traces of blood and pain. He laughed forcefully, wanting to get away from the returning agony.

"Go away, go away!" He rocked front and back, gripping his chest and staring widely into the white marble floor. "Go away, please go away…" he murmured, desperate. The hysteria was dying slowly, unsure to leave the small pale body. He finally prostrated on the cold, wide floor, feeling an immeasurable emptiness.

Somewhere a small droplet of water finished its days in a puddle. Kanda….why did he say that? His eyelids were heavy, seeing a murky and a misty image of a palm tree that had no place in the bathroom.

The sobs left him dry, and the vapor was sucking his moisture away. The tongue was heavy, like a piece of inutile gold. He gulped slowly, tasting nothing. What will he do now? The water slowly coldened, irritating like a wetted bed. It crept under him, filling the voids of his body. He slowly started to tremble, the muscles exhausted and raw. His eyes closed, weary with time and tears. Sleep came fast, taking over the drained body.

* * *

The dawn was cracking its eyes open, a bit grumpy because of the lack of sleep. It stretched its hands away, coloring the sky into a peachy hue. The light invaded the rooms of the abandoned mansion, sliding gaily over the red walls and slipping carefully inside, just to rest on a sleeping face. They warmed the spot, like huge lenses, mischievously gleaming.

The ray bit his nose, licking it roughly. He knew he had to get up, just not yet. Just a bit longer he had to be in the welcoming warmth. He shifted, letting the light bite another cheek with delight. The covers were cozy, a coziness too hard to ignore. Snuggling into the hot pillow he wondered why it had a heartbeat. The sleep still drifted in the air, making him wonderfully tired and somehow content. He giggled feeling a warm ray touching the curve of his neck. His eyelids were too glued to each other to be opened; he just let them be comforted by the blackness that prostrated itself in front of him.

There was no pain, no agony, just happiness, plain and pure happiness. It filled him inside, like a stuffed turkey. He smiled again turning away from the light and the gleeful rays. The eyes finally opened, letting in the light.

He was facing a male chest.

Allen closed his eyes again. This was too weird for his brain capacity. He went to sleep alone, did he not? He frowned, trying to recall the past events.

Realization struck him like a giant fist. The bathroom. His body tensed, summoning the pain of the previous day. He never went to sleep. He never went to his room.

Kanda.

He jerked his eyes open. The samurai lied next to him, embracing his back and curving, so that his chin rested on the boy's head. That… He tried to pull away, his gaze falling on his own chest. It was already bandaged and dressed in a large white shirt; the one Kanda wore at night. He shifted crudely, for the sole purpose of waking the man up, and then… What will he do then?

Kanda sighed in his sleep, the embrace growing much tighter. Crap, he will be crushed if he doesn't get awa-

"Moyashi?" The man let him go, sitting up. He watched Allen with a half confused half sleepy gaze.

"How do you feel?" Allen was mute. How shameless. He could not believe that this bas… bastard with a big, no, HUGE "B" was acting innocently.

"You…What are you doing here?" The hatred in the voice was _very_ noticeable. Kanda stared at him with clear and indifferent eyes.

"I was sleeping, I believe." He yawned covering his mouth. The next second he was slammed into the bed.

"You…YOU!" Allen was on top of him, gripping his neck.

"I, I" Kanda responded calmly. Suddenly Allen gasped. All the oxygen in his lungs seemed to run outside for evacuation. He opened his mouth but no words came. No, Kanda was not strangling him. His eyes widened, detecting a red dot on his bandaged chest that started to enlarge quickly.

"Don't move so soon. Yesterday you let the wound be and lost blood. So much for your bandaging skills." Allen breathed slowly, still staring at Kanda under him. His fists uncurled, leaving rosy marks in the palm.

"You t..tol..me..you...die…" There was no air. Kanda put him down lifting his torso.

"I told you I should have let you die. I know" He pulled up a pillow snuggling it under Allen's back. The air came back, rushing in the airways. Kanda got off the bed approaching a low table. He came back holding a cup of tea. He let the boy sip gluttonously, before taking it away. Allen panted, his thirst finally calming.

"Why?" The question stopped Kanda in his track.

"What why?" He mockingly raised one brow.

"Why did you say that?"

"Said what?"

"That you should have let me die."

Kanda turned his face toward the window, seeing something very, very interesting.

"I don't want to die." Kanda turned around and sat on the bed. He curved his back, letting the hands support the head.

"Moyashi, do you hate me?"  
Allen blinked. He did not expect the question. His first thought was to yell "Hell yeah!!" but for some strange and unspoken reason he did not. He did not hate him. It was painful and horrible, but he did not hate him. Just like he did not hate Mana. His foster parent cursed him with a hideous appearance, yet…he did not feel that sentiment, he never did.

"I don't. I don't hate you. It just hurts, that's all." He smiled sadly, shifting to face the wall. "The pain will go away, gradually" he continued, "It will die away, but hate…that would be too horrible. I cannot hate you, Kanda. For the sake of my own sanity."

Kanda did not respond. He could see a prey bird soaring high in the sky.

"You still did not answer to my question, Kanda."

'I wanted you to hate me." Allen rolled around too fast, cutting the oxygen. He listened breathless the words of that man.

"I had to make you hate me. It is better for you that way." His voice was serene, calm, and soothing. "Because of my stupidity you got hurt. Because of my idiocy Ticky got away. I failed to protect you, as a leader of this mission. And now, when I cannot possible make it worse, I feel the urge to break you, to make you acknowledge me as the one and only-" He stopped and rose." I cannot give you anything, moyashi. Only hatred. Hatred and pain." He paced toward the window and leaned his forehead against its smooth and cool surface.

"Yesterday I finally showed you who I am. I hate weaklings because I am one. I cannot face myself, while you do it so easily, too easily. Oh, how glad I was you were alive. Yet I couldn't say it. I wanted to hold you, to caress you, instead… I hurt you and…just to appease my mind." The man scratched the glass, painfully twitching. Allen stared wide-eyed, with no power to reply. There was no need to reply.

"I considered you a fool who changes his masks to protect himself, an act of cowardice I could not excuse. How could I not realize their meaning? You were wearing them for others, were you not? You gave them hope while your own soul was splitting in pain!" The man pressed the hand against the window carefully until the knuckles became white.

"You are a good soldier, Allen. A damn good one." He smirked at the look Allen gave him.

"Timcanpy came this morning. He said that Lavi will be here in a few days. The innocence we're looking for is in the base of this house, so we need more people to dig that thing up. So, you just try to heal faster, and then you'll leave for HQ." Kanda pressed a palm against the glass again.

"I don't think you'll see me for a long time. So, just take your time, and try to find people who appreciate you more than I ever did." He rose and was ready to leave when a voice stopped him.

"Are you an idiot or what?" Allen crossed his arms, cocking his head. A glint of amusement was playing in his eyes.

"Who are you to decide who I need in my life? Don't flatter yourself, Bakanda!"

"WHAT?"

"This is the worst confession ever! And believe me, I would know, I had a lot of them!" The boy stood up and approached Kanda with a steady and firm pace, like cholera. Kanda watched him nervously, cursing under breath. He just spilled his whole soul out, and this little bastard is taking advantage of it. He really should have left him di--. No, no, no. There he was again. Allen stopped in front of him, arms crossed and foot tapping.

"Why didn't you tell me earlier?"

"That doesn't matter." Kanda frowned, trying to predict his actions. Crap. He could not.

"Huh. So you really are dumb, Bakanda!" Allen smirked, waiting for the result.

"You! You little…" Allen ran outside giggling, forgetting about the wound. Kanda chased him, rapidly catching up. The next second the brat was on the floor, squirming and screeching while the samurai tried to protect his eyes from being scratched out. They wrestled, forgetting the reason or meaning of it, feeling entirely happy. That is until Kanda was hit in the nose with the foot.

Allen was breathing heavily, clenching his chest.

"It.. hurts…" He prostrated on the floor, feeling tired and large, as large as the room. Kanda quieted down, draining the source of cursing and swearing. On his four, he approached the boy and put his head on his chest, to hear the heart.

"You are dear to me, Moyashi." He kissed that chest, the one he personally wounded.

"You are dear to me, dearer than my life." He kissed his eyes next, closing them. Allen smiled and poked his cheek.

"And you did not shave yet. Your cheeks are hairy!"

He really could ruin a romantic moment.

___

Huh, 3000 words. My eyes are dead. My brain is dead. I am dead.

So, the next chapter will be the last one. Thank you people, for reading this. I want to start a new story with 10 chapters, but have no idea about what. Any suggestions

(Crap, I'll have to finish "There were bean sprouts in his bathroom" I still am stuck on the third ch, with no fantasy…)


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